Snake River Angler Fly Fishing Report for July 14th, 2014

SNAKE RIVER
The only hold out tributary on the upper Snake that is still in runoff is the Buffalo Fork but she is receding fast and we should have mostly clear water in the coming week or so. The best fishing is from Jackson Lake Dam (flows at 2500 cfs currently) down to the tail of the Osprey Channel where the clear water mixes with the sediment from the Buffalo Fork. Nymphing is good but dry flies are better in many instances on this reach. In fact, you can probably fish dries all day long. Trout are rising to PMDs, caddis, and yellow sallies for the most part. From just above Pacific Creek and down through the Osprey Channel, #10 attractors are in the cards and trout are rising to these as much as they are smaller and more imitative patterns.

The rest of the river, particularly the middle reaches from Moose down to the confluence with the Hoback, are fishing in a decent fashion with nymphs and streamers. Key in on riffles, streams, and banks with stonefly, PMD, yellow sallie, and caddis larva/pupa imitations. Streamers are working well along banks and structure.

NOTE: A slide on the upper Hoback has turned it a mean red, and this has rendered the lower river rather tough to fish. This should change as flows continue to recede. Check on future reports for further updates.

Effective dry flies – Circus Peanuts (#10 to #12), Wills Winged Chernobyl (#10 to #12), J Slams (#10), Comparaduns (#12 to #14), Parachute Extended Body PMDs (#12 to #16), Booty’s PMD Emerger (#12 to #16), Booty’s Better PMD Emerger (#12 to #16), Film Critics (#12 to #16), Quigley Cripples (#12 to #16), and Stimulators (#12).
Effective nymphs – Pats Rubber Legs (#6 to #10), Bitch Creek Stones (#6 to #10), Copper Johns (#10 to #14) in red or olive, Booty’s Deep Stinker Nymph (#10 to #14), Lightening Bugs (#10 to #16), Rainbow Warriors (#12 to #16), Foxy Sallie Stones (#10 to #12), and Psycho Princes (#10 to #14).
Effective streamers – Booty’s Quad Bunny Leech, SRA Bunnies, Strung-Out Leeches, Arum’s Lil’ Kim, Silvey Sculpins, and J.J. Specials.

SOUTH FORK
Flows from Palisades Reservoir remain at 13,300 cfs. There is no place better to be at the moment than the South Fork. All sections are offering dry fly action, although the best activity is on the upper reaches from the Dam down to Wolverine in the Canyon. The salmon flies are squarely in the Swan Valley reach and the upper Canyon from Conant down to Gormer Canyon. This means good action on salmon fly imitations and large attractors, but there is also solid productivity on PMD imitations on almost every reach. Hit every conceivable piece of holding water with salmon fly imitations throughout the day.

The afternoon can be off-the-charts with PMD imitations in riffles, seams, eddies and flats. PMD larva imitations are also working well when fished as droppers from dry flies. Keep in mind that there are also hatches of yellow sallies and caddis, and imitations of these can produce, whether using adults, pupa, or larva.

Effective dry flies – J-Slams (#8 to #10), Plan-Bs (#8), Chubby Chernobyls (#8 to #10), Will’s Winged Chernobyls (#8 to #10) Carnage Stones (#8), Stimulators (#8 to #12), Rubber Legged Double Humpies (#8), Fat Franks (#8 to #10), Elk Hair Caddis (#10 to #14), X-Caddis (#10 to #14), Parachute Extended Body PMDs (#12 to #16), Comparaduns (#12 to #14), Booty’s PMD Emerger (#12 to #14), Quigley Cripples (#12 to #14), Film Critics (# 12 to #16), and Halo Emergers (#12 to #16).
Effective nymphs – Pat’s Rubber Legs (#6 to #8), Lightening Bugs (#10 to #14), Bruised Mays (#10 to #14), Rainbow Warriors (#12 to #16), Psycho Mays (#10 to #14), Copper Johns (#10 to #14) in red, Hickey’s Auto Nymph (#16) and Biot Bugs (#10 to #12).

SALT RIVER
Same as last week, except we are having even noticeably better surface action in the morning and early afternoon hours – 7am to 1:30 pm – as trout key in on cool water temps and hatches of PMDs, caddis, yellow sallies, and some drakes and smaller golden stones. Around 1pm, things start to slow down on the surface big time and there is better action on nymphs. All reaches are fishing the same, but there are larger fish to be had on the upper reaches above Freedom and the lower reaches below McCoy Bridge. Riffles, seams, eddies, banks and structure are the key target water in the morning hours. In the afternoon, the trout tend to be holding in deep lies along banks and deep riffles.

Effective dry flies – Circus Peanuts (#10), Will’s Winged Chernobyl (#8 to #10), Chubby Chernobyls (#8 to #10), Parachute Extended Body PMDs and Cahills (#8 to #14), Booty’s Gray Drake Emerger (#10 to #12), X-Caddis (#10 to #14), Tilt-Wing Caddis (#12 to #14), Stimulators (#10 to #12), Booty’s PMD Emerger (#12), Parachute Adams (#10 to #14), and Film Critics (#12 to #14).
Effective nymphs – Soft Hackle Prince Nymphs (#10 to #14), Lightening Bugs (#12 to #14), Rainbow Warriors (#12), Copper Johns (#10 to #14) in red or olive, and Biot Bugs (#10 to #14).

GREEN RIVER
The Green crested at 2250 cfs this past week and is finally starting to recede. Fishing is not as good as it was two weeks ago but it is bound to get better as flows drop and the intensely warm air temps we have been dealing with start to cool (hopefully). There is decent action on every reach in the morning on streamers, nymphs, and dry imitations of drakes and yellow sallies, as well as moderately sized attractors. Banks and structure are key pieces of target water. There is also production on riffles and seams, but to a lesser degree as banks and structure. Hatches of caddis, PMDs, yellow sallies, and drake are best in the morning hours but tend to wane after 1pm. Fish hard, target holding water vigilantly, and good things can happen.

Effective dry flies – Chubby Chernobyls (#8 to #10), Will’s Winged Chernobyls (#8 to #1), Rubber Legged Double Humpies (#8), Turcks Tarantulas (#8 to #10), J Slams (#8 to #10), Booty’s Gray Drake Emerger (#10 to #12), Parachute Hares Ears (#10 to #12), Parachute Extended Body PMDs and Cahills (#8 to #14), Stimulators (#10 to #12), X-Caddis (#12), Tilt Wing Caddis (#12 to #14), Parachute Adams (#12 to #16), Furimsky BDEs (#10 to #14), Booty’s PMD Emergers (#12 to #14), and Quigley Cripples (# 12 to #14).
Effective nymphs – Biot Bugs (#10 to #12), Psycho Princes (#10) Zug Bugs (#12 to #14), Lightening Bugs (#10 to #14), Psycho Mays (#10 to #14), Copper Johns (#10 to #14) in red or olive, Bloody Marys (#10 to #12), and Flashback Pheasant Tails (#10 to #14).
Effective Streamers – Quad Bunny Leeches, Sex Dungeons, Silvey Sculpins, Bow River Buggers, Arum’s Lil’ Kims, and Murphy’s Bling Minnow.